Combined veneer clipper and trimmer



ias

Nov. 4, 1952 w. E. SMITH 2,616,501

COMBINED VENEER CLIPPER AND TRIMMER Filed Nov. 12, 1947 '7 Sheets-Sheetl Ix f 102 [0/103 3%" eooooooooeoo I 1 0000000 INVENTOR. Wi ZZis E.Smz'Z'h Q BY I Figl. 3

Nov. 4, 1952 w. E. SMITH COMBINED VENEER CLIPPER AND TRIMMER Filed NOV.12, 1947 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 i Mt ww$ I. A [P 3 I i. M 4 as I m \\m W mvWM i NM i 0 W 6 M R N W. 5

Willis ESmiZh Nov. 4, 1952 w. E. SMITH 2,616,501

COMBINED VENEER CLIPPER AND TRIMMER Filed Nov. 12, 1947 7 Sheets-Sheet 3Willis E. mii1h LL BY I) Nov. 4, 1952 .Filed Nov. 12, 1947' 7Sheets-Sheet 4 &| m 4H Willis INVENTOR. E. Smi i'JL Nov. 4, 1952 w. E.SMITH 2,616,501

COMBINED VENEER CLIPPER AND TRIMMER Willis ESmiZ'h Nov. 4 1952 w, sMlTH2,616,50f

COMBINED VENEER CLIPPER AND TRIMMER Filed Nov. 12, 1.947 7 Sheets-Sheet6 INVEb/TOR. Wi 111-5 .E. SmiZ'h MAM Nov. 4, 1952 w w. E. SMITH2,616,501

COMBINED VENEE CLIPPER AND TRIMMER Filed NOV. 12, 1947' '7 Sheets-Sheet7 KEY RELEASE CONTROLS FOR 5 AWS= CLIPPER CLIPPER SOL. I

' mmvrozc Willis E. Smi 11 CLUTCH SOL.

i atentecl Nov. 4, 1952 PATENT OFFICE COMBINED VENEER CLIPPER ANDTRIMMER Willis E. Smith, Springfield, Greg.

Application November 12, 1947, SerialNoJ'TSSA'SI 4 Claims. 1

My invention relatestothe making of'plywood and has particularreferencetothe 'recovery'oi useful sections from the separatesheets'w'hich go to make up plywoodwhi'ch otherwise would berejected'and unused. .At thepresent time, it is common practice to peelfromi'a log'a continuous strip or sheet of wood of desired thickness.This is usually aboutJone-eighth of an inch thick in the Douglas firplywood industry. Because of the "presence of defects, such as knots,pitchpockets,

unequal surfaces, and "the natural breaking of wood, the recovery ofuseful sheets from said strip is "relatively inefficient. Also,if'sections or'panels oi plywood are being constructed; it has been thepractice only to utilize the full length of the bolt or log bein peeled.Any sheets which do not extend 'thefull length are 'rej'ected'anddiverted on to the scrap "pile, because it is not economical to thatthey can be recovered and used, either to make plywood panelsof'maximumlength or be used to make panels which are standard but are "of shorterlength than the full length of the bolt or logbeingpeeled.

A further andmorespecific object of my invention is to provide "amachine of this character which will accommodate successive sheets ofplywood independently of their length or width and independently of theoutline or imperfections thereof.

A further object of my'invention is to'provid'e a machine inwhichs'he'et's having'imperiections may be fed in only approximatealinement, and which will be automatically squared in the ma:- chine soas to produce rectangular panels.

A further object of'my invention is to provide a machine of thischaracter which will permit sheets to be fed into the machine manually,will automatically square them with the delivery chains, saws, andclipper blades, will space them apart in said machine soas to permitthem to be selectively'operated upon, will separate the good portions ofsaid panels, and will automatically discharge the rejected portions.

A further object of my invention is to provide a machine in which thefeeding mechanism will automatically stop under the clipper as itstrikes a descending blow and then moves again to inoperative position.Due to said interruption of motion, the shearing is clean, the sheetsbeing clipped are not crumpled or broken, said sheets are retainedsquare tothe'clipped edge and may pass from said clipper to trimmingsaws, maintaining their rectangular shape, and be discharged Wi'th otherreclaimed sections of the sheets of plywood, separate from the rejectedtrimmed and imperfect portions of the sheets, being thus selectivelyrecovered or retrieved.

The details of my invention and the mode of operation thereof'arehereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying my invention, said machinebeing shown foreshortened longitudinally thereof;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the forward end of saidmachine, being taken'on the line 22 in Fig. '1;

Fig. '3 is more or less a side elevation of said forward end of themachine, being taken on'the line 3-3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. l is a longitudinalsection taken through the m-iddleportion of saidmachine'on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1, bein a prolongation of the sectionline 22on which Fig.2 is taken;

Fig.5 is a longitudinal section taken on the line li-5 in Fig. 1, being-'a prolongation of the section line l -4 upon which Fig. 4 is taken;

"Fig. '6 is an end view taken in the direction of the-arrowfi in Fig. 1,portions being shown broken away to disclose details of construction;and

Fig. '7 is a diagrammatic illustration of the electrical connections forsaid machine, said diagram carrying legends for the purpose ofexplanation of said diagram.

A machine embodying my invention comprises an elongated'frame i, inwhich sheets or boards are fed in at the left edge, as shown in Fig. 1,and

are'discharged at the right side, as shown in said figure. At the inletend is a feed table 2, having a shoulder or guide 3 on its upper edge,as viewed in said figure. This projects above the level of the uppersurface of the ieed-ta'ble-and is used by the men feeding sheets orplies to aline that end of said sheets or plies with the feed table,more or less. In the-plywood industry at the present time, it is commonpractice to allow one-fourth inch for trim for each one foot of-'length. Thus close alinement and register need not be maintainedthrough said machine. All that is essential is that the ends-oi thefeed-sheets 01' boards a'djacent said shoulder or guide be insubstantial abutment therewith, becauseit is from this edge that allcomputations are made.

Recessed in said feed table, but extending upwardly therefrom, are aseries of endless feed belts 4. These belts are spaced at more or lessuniform intervals across the upper surface of said feed table. Saidbelts are quite Wide and extend about pulleys 55a, rotatable upon axeslying be-- low the surface of said feed table. The intake and dischargeends of said belts, as they are arranged with respect to the feed table,lie substantially in the plane of said feed table, as is shown in Fig.2. The intermediate portions, however, rise above the plane of said feedtable several times the thickness of said boards or plies 6, so that asecure grip may be had between said endless feed belts and overlyin feedchains I. Said feed chains are alined with the underlying feed belts andalso are of endless form. The chains engage sprockets 88a, which arejournaled upon axles 99a, respectively, and spaced apart and are carriedby a feed chain bracket iii. Said bracket comprises a structural memberI I at each end and stifiener bars 52, arranged adjacent each of thefeed chains. A brace 13 of angular form is provided for each stiffenerbar, and a compression spring 54, encircling an upstanding threaded pin[3a, resiliently holds each of said stiffening bars in proper relationwith the feed table, so that the lower course of each of said feedchains will be arranged properly to engage boards or plies moved alongby the feed belts 4. The structural member H at each end of said feedchain bracket also is resiliently supported intermediate a supportingspring iEia and a spacer [5. The principal function of said spacer I5 isto hold the sprockets 8a upwardly so that the feed chains '1 do not runover and gouge the feed belts as they pass over the pulleys 5a whenthere are no boards or plies to separate them.

Said chains and belts, as well as other mechanisms, are driven by amotor [6, Fig. 3, having a shaft [6a. A clutch I1 is provided for saidmotor and it is actuated by a solenoid l8. When the clutch is inengagement, the drive sprocket I9 is driven by the motor shaft Ilia, butthe sprocket 20 for drivin the rearward feed chains lying at thedischarge side of the cutter mechanism will be driven at all times,independently of said clutch, which will hereinafter be described.Intermediate sprockets 2l-2la, being of step-down type, are operativelyconnected with the drive sprocket l9 by means of a chain 22. Saidsprockets 2|2 Ia also are provided with a gear 2| b, which engages agear sprocket arrangement 23-231: for the feed chains 1. That is, thegear 23a meshes with gear 2!!) on the sprockets 2l2la so as to drivethegear and sprocket arrangement 23-2311. A sprocket 24 is keyed to theaxle 9, and thus when endless chain 25, engaging sprockets 23 and 24, isdriven, it rotates the axle 9 and the sprockets 8 for the feed chains 1.The sprockets 8a idle on their stub shafts 9a. The sprocket 2|a isjoined to a sprocket 24a by a chain 25a, and drives the feed belts 4. Achain 26 engages the sprocket 26, as well as the sprocket 21 on shaft21a for the rearward belts 28.

Referring now to Fig. 2: The boards or plies 6 are fed upwardly acrossthe feed table 2 by being engaged between the endless feed belts 4 andthe feed chains 1. Adjacent the discharge end of said feed belts andfeed chains is a series of pins 29, which are retractable, one beingarranged adjacent each of said pairs of belts and feed chains. Said pinsare moved in unison by a solenoid 30, which engages a lever 3|, on arock shaft 32, through a link 31a. Said rock shaft 32 has a series ofarms 32a keyed thereto,

and each of said pins 1s resiliently mounted upon a coil spring 29a.Said pins are moved upwardly to the position they occupy in Fig. 2, toengage the forward edge of a board or ply, and are retracted from saidposition by coiled spring 321). Thus when the solenoid 30 is energized,the pins tend to be moved up into intercepting position with relation tothe boards or plies, and when said solenoid is de-energized withrelation to the boards or plies, spring 321) retracts said pins.

The springs 29a under each of said pins perform a very importantfunction. If said pins tend to be moved upwardly by the action of thesolenoid 30 and they underlie a board or ply, said springs will compressand said board or ply will not be pierced or broken by said pins.Immediately after said board or ply passes beyond the line of said pins,the spring under each of said pins will push it up into position whereit will intercept the next board or ply. Said plies, particularly whenthey are one-eighth inch plywood, are rather fragile. It is necessary,however, that said pins be held in intercepting position quite securely,and this is accomplished Without damage to the boards by the arrangementof said springs about the pins so that they are resiliently mounted.Said pins are prevented from moving laterally, and thus are held inexact alinement by bearing blocks 2% surrounding said pins. Said pinsare arranged alongside the endless feed belts 4, as is shown in Fig. 1,and thus, in the absence of said bearing blocks, the boards or pliesmight sag and engage said pins inadvertently, even though they wereretracted. By arranging said bearing blocks to encircle said pins whenthey are retracted, the upper surface of each of said blocks 29bprovides a smooth, curved surface about a pin to prevent inadvertentengagement of said plies and boards, producing tearing or damagethereof, When said boards or plies are moved along by the feed belts 4and the overlying feed chains I.

Said boards or plies are preferably fed into the feed table so they willpresent a straight forward edge. The pins 29 are alined, and thus whenthe boards strike said pins, they will tend to square them with the feedtable. The feed chains drag lightly over the boards or plies and thelatter merely rest upon the feed belts. Thus they are not unyieldinglyengaged by said feed mechanism, and the belts and feed chains arepermitted to drag over them to pull the boards or plies tightly againstthe pins to square them. Arranged at the discharge end of said feedbelts and feed chains is a plywood clipper 33, as shown in Figs. 2 and3. The clipper 33 comprises a pair of spaced vertical guide members 34and a reciprocating head 35 carryin a sharpened blade 36. Said blade issecured to the head by bolts 35a, which pass through a backing orclamping plate 35b to hold the blade 36 flatwise against the head tomaintain said blade in transverse alinement.

Referring now to Fig. 3 as well as to Fig. 2:

Pitmans 3? are arranged at each end of said blade. A crank pin 3 8 on acrank disc 39 moves said head and the blade over and above a base plate4| in the clipper. Said base plate preferably is solidly supported by anI-beam 42 or other type of structural support. The crank disc 39 isrotated by a rock shaft 43, to which a segmental pinion 44 is secured.An overrunning rack 45 operatively engages the segmental pinion 44 tooscillate said crank disc 39 and to move "thecutter blad'ett up anddown. Said overrunning rack 45 is secured to the end of piston rod'de ofareciprocating piston-and-cylinder element 4?. Said piston-and-cylinderelement 4! preferably has a throw sufficient to cause the crank disc toturn approximately 180 degrees. It may optionally, however, rock therock shaft and the crank disc 360 degrees so that at each alternatestroke of the piston rod, the cutter blade will pass through onecomplete cutting stroke and be moved from the position above the plywooddown to sever a piece thereof and move back into its original position.This, however, is merely a matter of choice. The controls for saidpiston-'and-cylinder element will be hereinafter described withreference to the electrical diagram.

One very important feature of the clipper mechanism, however, is anelectrical make-and- It is arranged upon one 4,

break 48. (See Fig. 3.) of the guides .34 and is engaged so as tomakeand-break an electrical circuit as the blade moves towards the baseplate in severing a piece of plywood. Said make-and-break 43 is in thecontrol circuit for the driving means for the feed chains 1 and the feedbelts 4. Thus, when the clipper blade comes down to sever a piece ofplywood, power is cut off from thefeed chains and feed belts and theirmotion is stopped, so that while the blade is passing through the sheetof plywood, it is not being movedforwardly. This is particularlyimportant when the front edge of a board of ply is to be clipped. If thefeed belt and chains continue to push the board or ply forward, it wouldeither crumple the piece of plywood, or would tend to move it out ofsquare from "the position in which it was initially arranged by the pins29, as has heretoforebeen described. By stopping the forward progress,however, the clipping is done cleanly and the predetermined squaredrelation is not disturbed. Said electrical make-and-break has an arm480. which actuates it, and a roller 381) is carried by the free end ofsaid arm. It engages an adjustable block 49 on the head 35, and whensaid head, and therewith said block, moves down, said arm is permittedto swing outwardly and downwardly, clockwise, to cut off power from thefeed chains and belts. If the rearward end of a board or ply is to becut off, as shown in Fig. 2, no effortis made to stop the board or ply,because it is then engaged by the feed chains at the discharge side ofthe clipper and only a small piece is severed, and said piece is refuseand no care must be taken to see that it is not damaged. It isdesirable, also, that said piece of refuse be spaced somewhat from thetrailing edge of the reclaimed clipped piece of ply or board, and thecontinued movement thereof and the stoppage of said trimmed sectionseparate said parts so that trimmer saws, hereinafter described, may cutup said piece of refuse without running the chance of nicking the boardor ply reclaimed.

Referring next to Fig. l:

The board or ply being trimmed .has passed the line of the clipper bladeand is engaged between overriding feed chains 59 and underlying feedbelts 23. The feed belts are driven by the chain 2%, as has heretoforebeen described, and the feed chains to are powered by an obliquelydisposed chain 52, shown in Fig. 3, which leads to a transverse shaft53, upon'which all of thefeed sprockets 54 for the feed chains arefixed. (See Fig. l). The parts of the feed chains lying ad- .jacent theclipper pass around idling sprockets '6 55. The sprockets .54 andi.55*are .heldi'atiproper spacing by a reach bar 56 for each ofsaid'feed chains. The transverse shaft 53"is journaled in the free endsof arms 53a.

A series of saws 51 are spacedacross the frame, preferably at one footintervals, asis shown in Fig. 1. They are carried byswinging brackets58, respectively, pivotally mounted upon a shaft 59, having bearings 59afor said swinging brackets. Said brackets are moved upwardly anddownwardly by double acting piston-and-cylinder elements 60, actuated bycontrols which will hereinafter be described in connection with theelectrical diagram for said controls. Said saws normally are arrangedabove the plane of the boards or plies, and may selectively be actuatedto move into operating position. The saws preferably are constantlyrunning, being driven by a motor 6|, acting through belt 61a to acommon'shaft 62. For each saw is a pulley t3, keyed to said shaft 62. Anendless belt 65 engages saidpulley and a saw pulley Bid on the mandrel51b for each saw. Said saws rotate at high speed, and thus when they aremoved into operating position, illustrated in Fig. 4, they will cuttransversely the board or ply engaged by the feed chains and belts 5028at such time.

The machine illustrated is adapted to take a piece of plywood or a board12 feet long. There would thus be 11 saws if they are arranged atone-foot intervals, capable of sawing each board or piece of plywoodinto lengths one foot long, if all of said saws were depressed. It ispossible, therefore, to cut a board or sheet of plywood in any selectedlength at one-foot intervals. It is to be remembered that plywood is outinch long to the foot, and thus the dimensions .given are onlyapproximate. That is to say, a 12 foot piece of plywood actually is cut148 inches long, and each of the so-called one foot intervals indicatedare actually 12% inches spacing from center to center. Within theselimits, therefore, said spacings are maintained. Under said trimmer sawsis arranged a pit E5, and it isinto this pit that the portions of theboards or plys, which are to be disposed of, are discharged. That is tosay, refuse is discharged from a machine embodying my invention at thispoint, and it is permitted to fall into a trough 65, having slopingsides and a trash belt til forming the bottom thereof. The parts to bedischarged in this manner preferably are cut into short lengths so theywill pass readily into the pit between the feed belts and will slidedown the sloping floor of the trough and be carried away by the trashbelt. A weighted roller 68 is arranged laterally intermediate each ofthe belts 28 and feed chains 53, and normally is permitted to move undergravity to a plane below that at which it lies in Fig. 4. This tends topush the trash below the belts 28 so that it will be disposed of on thetrash belt 6'1 in the trough 56, as has been described. Said weightedroller performs another function; namely, it causes the boards ii, whichspan the said feed belts 28 and are to be retrieved, to move withoutslipping thereon until the trailing edge of each board passes beyond thepoint of engagement with said weighted rollers. Said weighted rollersare carried by the free end of arms 69, and said arms are joined by astructural member 70, which is supported by a coil spring H to a fixedpart of the frame or machine. This may be adjusted so that a correctamount of weight will be imposed by said :roller 68 'upon the sheets orplies to perform the functions previously described.

Boards or plies, which are discharged from the trimmer saws and are tobe retrieved or recovered, are moved along by the belts 28. Said beltsare supported by narrow timbers 12, extending longitudinally of themachine. Said timbers are slightly narrower than the belts 28 and thusinterpose no obstruction to the discharge of trash from said machine.They support the upper span of the belt, however, and cause the coursefor said boards or plies to extend in a more or less continuous plane.At the left-hand side of Fig. 5, which is at the ofibearing side fromthe saws, a series of pins l3 may be moved upwardly to intercept theforward edge of a board or ply before it passes along on said belts tolaterally discharging rollers H. As is shown in Fig. 1, said rollersrotate upon axes which extend longitudinally of the machine, and thusthe boards or plies which are to be retrieved are caused to changedirection at a 90 degree angle on said machine and be discharged at theupper right-rear edge of the machine, as viewed in said Fig. 1. Theplane of the upper portion of the belts 28 lies above the periphery ofsaid rollers when they are depressed, as is shown in Fig. 5. The rollersH may be lifted to a point where the upper portions thereof lie abovethe plane of the belts, and then they will engage the under surface ofthe boards or plies and cause them to be shifted transversely of themachine.

Each roller 14 is journaled in a pair of journal bearings 15, supportedby a frame 16, which underlies the rollers. Said frame 16 is a subframe,as far as it relates to the general frame of the machine, and is movabletherein. A pair of bell cranks 11-79 are pivotally mounted upon throughshafts 19-80, extending the width of the machine. Bearings SI and 82,respectively, support said cranks through shafts 19 and 89, saidbearings being supported by upright portions of the main frame of themachine. The shaft 89 is rotated or oscillated by a piston-andcylinderelement 83, as is shown in Fig. 5, the piston rod 33a thereof, beingjoined by a shackle 84 to bell crank 18. Said bell crank is fixed tosaid shaft 80, and thus when said shaft rotates, it causes similaroperating devices for each of the rolls to be actuated simultaneouslywith the one to which said shackle is directly secured. In each of saidmechanisms for lifting said rollers, a connecting rod 85 joins the bellcranks l1 and '18 therein to cause them to rotate simultaneously. Thebell crank 11 moves clockwise about the axis of the through shaft 19when it lifts the subframe 19, and thus the roller which is supportedthereby. The bell crank 18 rotates counter-clockwise in performing thesame function. A depending leg 16a on said frame 76 is pivotally joinedto the bell crank Ti, and the bell crank 19 is operatively joined to theother end of said frame by a link 96, pivotally joined at its lower endto said bell crank '18. At its upper end, it is pivotally joined to theframe 19. Said rollers are rotated by a single, continuous chain 3'1,which engages a sprocket 88 on each of the rollers 14. This is shownmost clearly in Fig. 6. Said chain follows a sinuous course and isengaged intermediate the sprockets 88 by idler sprockets 89. Said idlersprockets cause the chain to engage a greater portion of the peripheryof the sprockets 88, and also may be used as tighteners to promote closeworking ngagement between said chain 81 and the sprockets 88 on therollers 14.

Abutting said frame 16, adjacent the leg 16a thereof, is a pivoted lever99, carrying an adjustable tappet bolt 90a at the free end thereof. Thatis to say, when the frame (6 is lowered, it bears against the head ofsaid tappet bolt 90a and rocks the lever 90 clockwise. When the weightof said bracket and the supporting mechanism is lifted, a coil spring 9|rocks said lever counter-clockwise. Said lever is joined to an operatinglever 92 lying above it by means of a pivoted link 93. The pivot axes ofsaid levers 99 and 92, respectively, are arranged so that a smallpivotal movement of the lever 99 will be translated into a greaterarcuate movement of the operating lever 92. That is, said lever 99 ispivotally mounted adjacent its middle, while the operating lever 92 ismounted so that the link 93 is closer to said pivot axis thereof than isthe free end thereof. At said free end 92a of each lever 92 is a pin 13,which may be lowered to the position shown to permit boards or sectionsofplywood to pass thereover, or may be lifted to the position shown indotted outline in Fig. 5, to intercept sections of plywood or boards byengaging the forward edges thereof. Each pin is supported by acoil-encircling spring 13a, which engages a shoulder 131) on said pin byone end and the free end of the operating lever 92 by the other end.Said pin 13 passes through a bearing block 95, which guides the movementof said pin. The upper surface thereof is curved so as to prevent asaggingboard or ply from engaging said bearing block and becominghungup" when the pin 94 is depressed. It is thus apparent that when therollers 14 are lifted so as to engage the boards or plies,simultaneously therewith or slightly in advance of said movement theseries of pins 13 are lifted to prevent any further boards or plies frombeing moved along by the belts 28 into overlying position with respectto the rollers 14. Likewise, when said rollers are lowered, said pinsare retracted to permit boards or plies to move into overlying position,as is shown in Fig. 5. The first of said boards or plies is permitted,when said pins are retracted, to move into abutment with a pendent rail96 at the discharge end of said belts. Thus by predetermining the timingof lifting and lowering of said rollers, boards or plies are permittedto move over the full length of the rollers before the latter arelifted, and thus all boards or plies in overlying position aresimultaneously shifted laterally of the machine in such arrangement thatthey may be stacked in layers upon a transfer truck (not shown)corresponding in width, more or less, to the length of said rollers. Thetiming mechanism for operating the piston-andcylinder element 83 will behereinafter described in connection with the timer and the electricaldiagram. An overlying idler roller 14a (Fig. 6) is arranged at thedischarge side of the bank of rollers 74 and engages the upper surfaceof plies or boards moved by said rollers into discharging position fromsaid machine. Said overlying idler roller is in stacked alinement withthe last roller at the discharge side of said machine, and holds, withsaid roller, the sheets or boards as they are moved from said machineand causes them to lie flatwise in a selected layer thus built up. Saidoverlying idler roller is carried by squared blocks 14?), in a verticalframework 14c, having an elongated slot 14d therein. The mass of saididler roller 14a tends to cause the blocks 14}:

9 at. the. ends thereof to lie at the lower end of said slots 1401..

It is my purpose to control the movement of all of thevarious partsof'this machine by distant controls'and preferably by electrical means.In Fig; 7, I have. shown an electrical diagram, in which all of saidparts are indicated either symbolically or by legends. As is shown inFig. l, push-button control is provided, and said controls are arrangedin banks upon a keyboard Bl. Said keyboard is shown laterally displacedwith respect to the frame of the machine. In actual practice, saidkeyboard is arranged upon a stand, arranged atone side of and in anelevated position with respect to said machine. Thus the operator maylook down upon the entire machine and view the, operation of the severalboards or plies passing therethrough. Said keyboard is arranged more orless in alinement with one edge of the intake side of the machine,because it is at this point that a better view of the plies or boardsbeing operated upon must be maintained. That is to say, it is necessarythat the operator view quite carefully the condition of the boards to beretrieved, the alinement of said boards with respect to the positioningmeans at the intake side of said machine, and the surface of saidboards, with the end in mind that useful portions will be clipped andsawed therefrom.

In said diagram, I have indicated that electrical energy shall besupplied at diiferent voltages. This is cited byway of illustration andis not critical. I have found that MiG-volt lines can be supplied to theclutch solenoid it, because it is required to perform heavy work. Onehundred and ten volt lines may be supplied for the other controls,because, in the main, they are only small solenoids which move relaysand perform other similar light work. The saws have been numbered 1 to11, inclusively, as in a typical operation, where the maximum length ofplies to be accommodated is 12 feet long plus the additional wastagewhich is common practice, and has been commented upon heretofore.Similar symbols have been adopted for other operations, and said symbolsare indicated in the diagram and preferably are placed upon the keys orpushbuttons in the keyboard. The limited area of the keyboard, as isshown in Fig. l, prevents them from being illustrated, and thus theyhave been eliminated from said figure.

For example, the legends and the initials on said electrical diagramhave the following meaning: Clutch sol. means the solenoid control whichoperates the clutch I? for making operative and inoperative the feedchains l' and feed belts 4 runnin to the forward end of the machine.That is, said clutch is used to engage and disengage power supplied tothe belts 4 and chains l, which feed sections of plywood to the clipper325. Clipper sol. indicates the clipper solenoid 'la, which operates avalve 'lb controlling the flow of fluid to the piston-and-cylinder'element ll for the clipper The switch marked Toggle sw. is a manualswitch in the electrical circuit running to the entire keyboard which,when opened, will make the keyboard and the controls carried therebyinefiective, because they will no longer be supplied with electricalenergy. The switch marked Clipper limit sw. the electricalmake-and-break 58 carried by the upper end of the guiding members 3A,and

which isopened when the clipper head 35 is low-- ered toward operativeposition and is closed when the clipper head 35 assumes the positionshown in Fig. 3. The legend Pins sol. means that this symbol covers thesolenoid 36, which controls the position of the pins 29, which squarethe board initially with the clipper. The legend R- foot is a controlbutton not in the bank on the keyboard, but which is operated by theright foot of the operator and opens and closes the circuit to saidsolenoid Ell. The legend L-foot indicates a switch which is also off thekeyboard and is operated by the left foot of the operator. This is shownin parallelism with a button marked All. Either of these buttons, whenactuated, causes all of the saws to be lowered into cutting position, aswhen a section is to be cut into short lengths and directed into thetrough 66 and to be carried away by the trash belt 8i. The legend, SCindicates a key in the keyboard which,

when depressed, will stop all chains. That is, the depression of saidkey will stop not only the feed chains 1 and belts 4 which move theboard or ply into the clipper, but will stop all feed and transferchains, belts and rollers throughout the entire machine, and is thusmore or less of a safety key. The next key to the right is marked SF.This cuts the power from the feed belts d and feed chains 1 alone, butpermits the offbearing chains to continue to operate. That is, when saidkey is depressed, it actuates the solenoid it, which throws out theclutch ll from the power supply for said feed chains. The next switchkey or button to the right is lettered CS. The depression of this keycauses the clipper to strike a blow and stop, and also causes the feedchains to be stopped. The next button is marked "C and is merely aswitch for applying power to the piston-and-cylinder element by closingsolenoid 41a to valve 471), which operates the clipper 33. The remainingkeys and the legends applied thereto relate to the numbers of the saws5? which are to be actuated. For example, number l indicates the uppersaw, as viewed in Fig. 1, and number H indicates the lower saw, asindicated in said figure. The intermediate saws are numbered withintermediate consecutive numbers. It is to be noted that some keys aremarked 1 to 4, 5 to 8, 8 to 11, and these keys are connected in seriesso that the depression of said push-buttons will cause saws bearing thesame numbers to be depressed, that is, moved into operative positionwith relation to a board or section of plywood passing beneath saidsaws, respectively. Similar numbers are given to the relays whichcontrol said saws in banks, and to the individual relays for the sawsindividually, for ease in tracing the electrical diagram from thecontrol buttons to the saws to be actuated.

The key marked T is a trip or clearing mechanism which actuates thesolenoid marked Key Release. It is to be understood that the keys orbuttons in the keyboard are spring-raised and are latched in loweredposition by a latch in the same manner as the keys in an addin machine.The pushing of the button marked T causes the solenoid marked Keyrelease to be actuated, which pulls out all of the trips for saidbuttons and causes them all to be returned to inoperative position.

In the diagram, it is to be understood that all switches are springactuated except the switch marked Toggle sw., the switch 98 at the lowerleft-hand side which controls the supply of current to the timer Iilll,andthe individual switches for the saws marked 1 to 11, inclusive. Insaid; diagram, also, certain switch fingers are joined by broken linesto indicate that they are mechanically tied together but areelectrically separated. With the foregoing explanation, and by the useof conventional symbols, it is believed that anyone skilled in the artwill be able to understand the operation of said machine without tracingeach circut and the actuaton of each control.

It seems necessary, however, to describe that portion thereof whichconstitutes a timer mechanism I for lifting and lowering the rollers 14and therewith the pins 94. This is illustrated at the lower left-handside of said diagram. Reference is had, also, to Fig. 1. On the upperside of the frame in Fig. 1 and keyed to the shaft 53 is a disk IIII,which is joined by some reduction means (not shown) to a small pinionI02, which drives a timer gear I03 at substantially lower speed. Saidtimer gear has pins I04 and I05 extending laterally from the facethereof. Pins I04 actuate the switch of a make-and-break I06, and pinsI05 perform a similar function with switches of a make-and-break I01.Thus at predetermined points with relation to the movement of the feedbelts 28, said make-and-breaks I06 and I01 are actuated and they closethe circuit to a solenoid I08, operating the valve for a pistonand-cylinder element 83. This is done through a relay I09, which, whenenergized, closes switch points II 0, III. As has been pointed out, saidswitch points are normally held open by a spring and are closed onlywhen the electromagnetic relay is closed. The make-and-breaks I06 andI01 are pivotally mounted and are rocked when they are engaged by thepins I04 and I05, respectively, on the timer gear.

I04 rocks the make-and-break I06, it causes current to flow from thesupply through said makeand-break I05, through connection II2, switchpoint I I 0, connection I I3, to the make-and-loreak I01. Saidmake-and-break I01 is normally spring-closed and remains closed until itis engaged by one of the pins I05 to open said circuit through theconnection H3. Thus, to actuate the solenoid I08, it is necessary,first, for the make-and-break I06 to be closed to actuate the relay I09and to close the circuit to the makeand-break I 01 and to the solenoidI08. Thus the current flows through two different circuits to the relayI 09 and actuates the solenoid I08 as long as either of saidmake-and-breaks IOE-I01 are closed. When a pin I05 opens themake-andbreak I01, then it overcomes the spring tension in said switchand opens the circuit through line H3. The circuit through theconnection I IE will already have been opened, because saidmakeand-break I06 is spring opened. Thus the time that the solenoid ismaintained actuated is the time between which the make-and-break I06 isclosed and the make-and-break I01 is opened. The timing may be variedselectively by moving the pins I04-I05 about the circumference of thetimer gear I03. There are a plurality of holes spaced at more or lessuniform intervals around said gear, and the number of times perrevolution that a circuit is made through said make-andbreaks I06 andI01 is controlled by the number of pins I04 and I05, respectively, thatare placed in said gear and extend laterall therefrom, and, also, theirrelation one with the other.

I claim:

1. In a machine for retrieving selected intermediate sections from anelongated sheet of material, material conveying means for advancing asheet along a path extending longitudinally of said machine, saidconveying means comprising Thus, when the pin a pair of opposed materialengaging members adapted frictionally to engage the opposite faces ofsaid sheet but to slide over said faces when the sheet is stopped,movable material cutting means mounted transversely of said pathadjacent the terminal end thereof, and a series of laterally alignedinterrupting pins carried by said machine in advance of said cuttingmeans, said interrupting pins including means selectively movable to aposition intersecting said path at a point intermediate the beginning ofsaid path and the location of said cutting means to stop and laterallyto align a sheet passing along said path, said interrupting pins beingretractable to a position clear of said path.

2. In a machine for cutting selected intermediate sections from a sheetof material, material conveying means for passing a sheet along a pathextending longitudinally of said machine, a clutch means operableselectively to stop said conveying means, said conveying meanscomprising a pair of opposed material engaging members adaptedfrictionally to engage the opposite faces of said sheet, a reciprocablecutting means mounted adjacent the terminal end of said path and movableto and from a position intersecting the path, means bearing on saidcutting means and joined operatively to said clutch means to stop saidconveyor in response to a movement of the cutting means towardintersection of said path, and interrupting members mounted in advanceof said cutting means along said path, said interrupting membersincluding means selectively positionable to intersect said path and tostop a sheet passing along said path and to align said sheet, saidinterrupting member means being resiliently mounted to yield if a sheetoverlies them when they are selectively actuated to be positioned tointersect said path.

3. In a machine for retrieving selected intermediate sections from asheet of veneer, material conveying means for passing a sheet of veneeralong a path extending longitudinally of said machine, said conveyingmeans having a feed and a discharge end and comprising a pair of opposedmaterial engaging members adapted frictionally to engage the oppositefaces of said sheet of veneer, cutting means arranged transversely ofsaid path adjacent the discharge end of said conveying means, and alaterally aligned series of interrupting pin means mounted inter mediatesaid cutting means and the feed end of said conveying means, said seriesf pin means being movable in unison by a rock shaft from a retractedposition below said path to an extended position intersecting said pathin advance of said cutting means, a separate spring means interposedintermediate said rock shaft and each pin to yield and prevent movementof a pin if a sheet f veneer overlies that pin when movement to saidextended position is attempted.

4. In a machine for cutting selected intermediate sections from a sheetof veneer, material conveying means for passing a sheet of veneer alonga path extending longitudinally of said machine, a clutch meansselectively for operating or stopping said conveying means, saidconveying means comprising a pair of opposed material engaging membersadapted frictionally to engage the opposite faces of said sheet but toslide over said faces when the sheet of veneer is stopped, areciprocable clipper blade cutting means movable to and from a positionintersecting said path to clip a sheet of veneer passing therealong,control means operatively connected with said clutch means andresponsive to a reciprocable movement of said clipper blade to actuatethe clutch and stop the conveying means, a series of interrupting pinscarried by said machine in advance of said cutting means, saidinterrupting pins including means selectively positionable to intersectsaid path and to engage the forward edge of a sheet passing along saidpath before that sheet reaches said clipper blade, said interruptingpins being movable to said intersecting position from a position clearof said path and out of engagement with a sheet of veneer passing alongsaid path, said pins being resiliently mounted to yield if a sheet ofveneer overlies them when they are actuated toward said positionintersecting said path, and said pins being arranged in series inparallel alignment with and adjacent said clipper blade but in advanceof the blade so a sheet of veneer is aligned prior to passing saidblade.

WILLIS E. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

Number 14 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Treat Jan. 27, 1891 Fosheeguly 12, 1904 COX July 10, 1906 Schumacher Feb. 3, 1920 Barrett May 4,1920 Lumb Sept. 30, 1924 Osgood Feb. 17, 1925 Rockwell Mar. 1, 1932Rosener et a1 May 3, 1932 Huntsberger Aug. 30, 1932 Hardenbrook Aug. 1,1933 Melin Oct. 27, 1936 Coumbe et a1 Nov. 18, 1941 Mead et a1. Oct. 26,1943 Miller Feb. 5, 1946 Stringe Oct. 26, 1948

